Australia is a lovely country and lot's of fun, Sydney is expensive Past Review
By Zach B (Economics., Vassar College) for
IFSA: Sydney - University of New South Wales
Met my girlfriend there so yeah it was worthwhile, but if you want to do something other than party and surf (with the occasional bit of school), go somewhere else.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Not difficult, but there is very little opportunity to learn much. Grading system is arbitrary and most Professors are only concerned with giving lectures. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were pretty good, although unless you have any problem you sort of forget they exist. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Live in Coogee, it's great. |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself, and it was all delicious. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Minus the overt racism Australia is a lovely country and lot's of fun. Sydney is expensive though, and getting a job can be difficult so keep that in mind when choosing between Sydney and somewhere cheaper like Brisbane or Cairns. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Sure they talk funny but it's still english. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want to hang out on the beach for a few months with mostly Americans and have a good time, this is the program for you. If you want to actually learn something, I'd probably look elsewhere. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Globalization Economics |
| Course Department: | Economics |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | Easy course that actually covers some interesting material. Could be good if you get a good TA (mine was absolutely atrocious however). |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
